Pakistan’s NDC Delegate Explains Challenges & Dilemmas in Countering West Asian Extremism

Mr Muhammad Abbas Hassan, the visiting faculty member, National Defence University, Islamabad, Pakistan and Senior Research Associate at Centre for Regional Stability, Pakistan contributing his views during the preliminary sessions to the sub topic, ‘Challenges and Dilemmas; National Perspectives - West Asia’ underlined the need for a clear strategy to contain ‘Violent Extremism’ at global level.

Giving a complete analytical presentation in terms of population, oil and gas resources and how the West Asian countries have become home to multiple conflicts, the scholar drew parallels and explained how violent conflicts raged elsewhere including, ‘The Syrian Conflict & ISIS’, ‘The Iraq Civil War & ISIS’, ‘Saudi - Iran Proxy’, ‘Saudi - Yemeni Conflict’, ‘Unrest in Turkey’, ‘Israel - Palestine Conflict’, ‘Brewing in Bahrain’ and ‘Boycott of Qatar’, etc.

Mr Abbas Hassan also attributed certain factors that have impeded the countering of such violent trends. Dilemmas such as unsuitable allies, division of West, diplomatic failures, refugee crisis are some of them in addition to other factors such as drop in oil prices, terrorism, Russian - Turkish relations, climate change, etc. He pointed out that West Asia has now turned to be a totally different one which is unstable, uncertain, divided and volatile.

Mr Hassan ended in a rather negative note alleging that the light at the end of the tunnel cannot be seen unless a clear strategy is implemented for solutions.